The Forgotten Rose
by starrbursts
Summary: I stared right into the pale eyes of the shaking man, his face blue from the cold. The man screamed,writhing on the ground like a dying snake. A frozen rose crumbled in my pale hands. Oh, I was finally free!


Hi guys! Wow, it has been FOREVER since I've last posted a story. I hope that, since it has been a LONG time, my writing has improved and my stories are easier to read and understand, plus more enjoyable. In fact, I am falling in love with this story and my main character. She is so enjoyable to write because she is so odd and different than my other protagonists from my other stories. I hope you enjoy reading her story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Anyway, on to TFG (as I call it!) or the Forgotten Rose...I must say this story has changed one hundred eighty degrees from when I first started coming up with the plot. In fact, there is not even any similar themes between this final plot and my first plot other than they are both fantasy. The final plot to TFG is slightly more dark and not so "fairy tale" like--bubbly, fluffy, and sardonic. Okay, so I will stop my rambling and actually get to the point: the summary of TFG. drum roll

"Please, I'm only a young but gifted healer. I can't be that! In fact, I am your prisoner! Why are you telling me that I am to restore peace when you brought turmoil to this land?" I whispered irritated, "In fact, I don't want to ever talk to you again, you two timing prig. Furthermore, you have no right to tell me what I ought to do. Now, take me back to my cell. It is more comfortable there than conversing with you."

Xela Di Marci, a young woman learning the art of healing, is suddenly thrust into a confusing world of magic, love, deceit, and turmoil. "Ha. Who needs help when you have yourself?" I whispered, crying, "but I need help. I can't do this alone..."

Oh and bytheway, Xela is pronounced, Shay-la. Enjoy!

The Forgotten Rose

Chapter One

The Frozen Rose

The icy rain felt wonderful on my pale skin as I climbed quietly out of the rugged carriage. The wind tugged hard on my hood; my cloak spreading out like wings. I heard the driver wheeze and cough behind me. Grabbing my cloak and hood firmly in my slender hands, I faced him, slightly startled but more annoyed. The driver, stood bent over my footsteps in the muddy ground, looked at me with bewildered pale eyes. My eyebrow rose almost haughtily.

"What?" I snapped.

A sudden burst of wind faltered the driver's answer. I could not distinguish his emotions from fear or anger but I felt something like a small tug on the back of my mind. Anger swelled up in my chest and I could barely breathe. We stood staring at each other for what seemed like eternity but time did not matter to me. I was used to waiting…in the quiet…in the dark. Only this time, the wind and rain was on my side. A laugh escaped my throat.

"Milady, you dropped this." The driver choked raspy, holding out his hand submissively. He could not look into my eyes, which infuriated me even more. I did not move, only stared, waiting for the driver to lose patience, to become angry. But I knew that the cold would corner him in his own trap sooner than I. So I waited.

"Milady!" The old man screamed from the back of his throat, screeching into the frozen air. I sighed and crossed my arms, cocking my head to the side slightly. A smirk spread across my face. The old driver wanted me to speak, to lose this useless battle.

"Please!" He whispered. I felt the wind and the rain surge through my body, like it wanted me.

"Yes," I said softly, "this is your end."

I stared right into the pale eyes of the shaking man, his face blue from the cold. And the man screamed…Suddenly, I saw in my hands a frozen, blood red rose.

"MILADY! MILADY!" Something screamed into my own emptiness, powerful arms grasped around my soul, pulling me away from the carriage…the dead man…the man I killed, "MILADY!"

Suddenly, I felt a warm touch on my cold skin. My eyes opened wildly, and I stared blinking into gold orbs. I pushed myself away from the gold orbs and pulled thick blankets over me.

"Go away…" I whimpered, but the gold orbs would not leave my vision. Something sat near me and a hand touched my shoulder, "Go away!"

My scream echoed into the cool air. I felt anger swell up once again in my chest. I could feel the wind and the rain outside on my skin. _That same power…_Tears flowed softly down my cheeks. Frozen, salt less tears. An anguish cry escaped my mouth.

"Milady, shh…shhhh…it is okay. Only a nightmare." A velvety voice entered my ears. I quickly clasped my thin hands over them, hoping to wring out that voice. "Shhhhh…it is okay…shhhhhh…."

_No it is not okay, _I thought emotionally, _I killed him. And I enjoyed it. _

I felt the blankets slide off of my shaking body. I forced my eyes shut, not daring to even glance at the warmth of the golden orbs…the eyes that mocked me. That knew my deepest secret. My guilt.

Real arms pulled me up into a kneeling position and a hand lifted my chin, but I stubbornly refused to open my eyes. Another hand brushed my silver hair. I flinched, knowing what he was thinking.

"Please," I whispered pulling away from him, "Leave me a lone."

I felt him sigh deeply, frustrated, but I did not care. It was for his best to not be near me. I felt him stand up, the warmth disappearing into the icy air. Immediately, I regretted what I said but it was too late.

A door closed.

* * *

Sunlight streamed like fresh air into my room. Yawning, I pushed my covers off of me and stretched. A cool breeze gently caressed me as my feet touched the cool stone floor. I pulled a gown off of the chair next to my small bed and pulled it snugly over my small frame. I looked at myself in the mirror, making ugly faces at my reflection. I despised my alien like appearances. Sighing, I looked away from the mirror and grabbed a thick, blue scarf off of the chair, fingering the thick material with disgust. I hated it more than anything because it was a reminder of how different I was. Mother had always admired my strange hair, telling me how beautiful it shined in the sunlight, yet she forced me to hide it with a scarf every time I went into public. Since I was a young girl, as far as I could remember, I covered my hair. One time, I dared to walk outside with it uncovered proudly, but I ended up in tears as people scattered away from me and called me, "devil's child". Mother was so angry with me that day, she even yelled at me to NEVER EVER do that again. Since then, I never dared to take off my scarf unless in private. Breathing deeply, I wrapped it around my hair skillfully, tucking loose strands of hair in the folds. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and shrugged. There was no point looking at myself in the mirror, it only brought feelings of anger.

Instead, I walked quietly out of my cold room, and, flinched uncomfortably as warm heat smothered me. I hated the heat. In fact, it made me sick if I was immersed in it too long. However, I was able to control my anxiety from living with it my whole life for a certain time.

The Inn that I was staying at was large and boisterous. The common room, which was about as wide as the Great Hall at my home by the ocean, with tall ceilings that reached at least seventeen feet high in the air, had tables and chairs crowding the right side of the room, and a large roaring fire in the middle with thick couches surrounding it. The left side of the room was the bar. On the walls were animal stuffed heads or antlers, but primarily trophies or crests of the Noble Families in the province. The rooms were on the second floor that surrounded the common room, like a loft.

I walked down the stairs into the common room, smiling at all the sleepy travelers eating what looked and smelled like bacon, ham, and eggs. I jealously glared at all the ragged travelers as they ate their delicious looking meal for I could not eat the meat; it made me terribly sick. A hooded figure caught my eye as I made my way towards the tables. My escort, always hooded, sat by himself in a corner. Sighing even more annoyed I made my way towards him.

"'Scuse me, ma'am." Said a jovial looking man with a thick beard and ruby cheeks as I nearly ran into him.

"Sorry." I murmured and hastened my step towards my escort, who called himself Devon. "Good Morning."

Devon looked up from his breakfast and nodded his head at me.

"Morning." He shortly said. I liked his voice, deep and mellow like water brushing over pebbles. However, I did not like him personally as he was extremely cold and indifferent towards me.

I sat down across him and crossed my arms leaning on them bored.

"Sleep well?" I asked, watching him chew on his bacon.

He shrugged and glanced at me oddly, like he knew something that I should know.

"What?" I reproached narrowing my eyebrows.

"Nothing." He shrugged his shoulders and kept his eyes on his food. We sat there for nearly fifteen minutes before I, frustrated, nearly yelled but instead drummed my fingers, embarrassed, blushing.

"So…how far are we from the capital?" I asked, my stomach grumbling.

He finished a large mouthful and wiped his mouth. Leaning back in his chair, he stared at me wistfully.

"We are nearly two days away."

I nodded my head waiting vainly for him to say something else. We had been traveling for nearly two weeks. I left my home in the Di Marci province to start my education in becoming a healer. I wanted to be a mage, but the sorcerer who visited my home and interviewed me refused to accept even though I showed him some of my magical abilities. It confused me but my parents seemed like they did not mind. In fact, they decided that I should be a healer without even asking me. When they told me their plans, I did not reject it for I knew that my time at the Di Marci province had ended when…

"Hurry up and eat, milady. We still have a lot to travel and I don't want to hear your whining." My escort bluntly said and stood suddenly up, "I will be waiting outside for you."

I rolled my eyes. After my parents decided that I would leave for the Capital for the University, they picked a "trusty worthy" escort to take me there. I was curious to see whom they picked and was not disappointed when I first met him for he was rather young and handsome. But after several discourses with him, I could not stand talking to him. He infuriated me to the point that I wanted to scream at him every time he looked at me with his prodding eyes.

Those eyes…I have never seen anything like them before. They were as alien as I was. Instead of my cold almost clear eyes, his were full of warmth and shiny. Even his skin had a golden tint to it but it seemed like I was the only one who ever noticed it. But the thing that was the most curious was his hair that he kept covered…like me. Every time he looked at me, I felt like he was reading my soul. It disturbed me but I did not acknowledge it while he was around.

_We're so much a like yet so different_ I mused as I ate my watery eggs, _there is more to him than he lets on. Surely, he will tell me…yet…I feel that this will be the last time I will ever see him. _Not that it mattered. In fact, I was pleased that after I began my education in the Capital, I would never see _Devon_again.

I finished my eggs quickly, thanked the Innkeeper, and walked outside into the cold, cold wind. Immediately, I felt myself relax as the cold spread through out my body. A carriage was waiting for me.

"Ready?" I heard Devon's voice behind me.

I whirled around and saw Devon leaning against the Inn wall. I nodded my head, my heart pounding. I hated being surprised. Devon smirked and walked past me and said in my ear,

"Here, I found something for you."

Devon almost smiled as he walked past me. I stared at him in shock for he never had shown this much recognition to me before.

"Coming?" He asked, opening the carriage door for me.

I nodded and followed after him, my mind racing. What could he possibly have found for me? _Probably and old shoe _I scornfully thought as he helped me into the carriage. I glanced down at him but his face was blank as usual. _Or maybe he is playing with me. _

The leather seats creaked as I sat in the far corner of the carriage. I watched Devon as he climbed in and shut the door with a loud snap. He sat down opposite of me and rubbed his leather-gloved hands together, shivering. A laugh escaped my mouth.

"What?" He snapped

I shrugged and played with my white gloves. The carriage suddenly jolted forward and momentary, we both lost our balance. Regaining my composure, I comfortably snuggled into the seat with my feet tucked under me.

"Its just funny." I murmured, not daring to look up at him. I could feel him placidly glare at me.

"You are intolerable, a child, a spoiled rotten princess." He growled, losing his temper, though his voice still sounded like velvet.

I resisted the urge to scream at him and instead pulled my cloak off of me. Devon raised his eyebrows at me. This time, it was my turn to question his behavior.

"What?" I said, narrowing my eyebrows.

He didn't respond at first but rested his feet beside me that I glowered at.

"I just find it odd."

"What do you mean by odd?" I snapped, annoyed with him more than ever.

He smirked at me,.

"Nothing." He said staring out the window.

The carriage jerked forward and we fell into deeper silence. Finally, irritated with his secrecy, I broke the stillness.

"What did you find for me?" I whined.

He glanced up at me and shrugged.

"It was nothing...just a way to influence you to hurry without any protesting."

Out of nowhere, before I could complain to him, a sharp pain stabbed my mind. I grabbed my head and rocked back in forth…

A light illuminated before me…and a man screamed…

So, I hope you liked it...I would really appreciate any constructive criticisms pertaining to my writing. Anything. But if you just want to say, 'Good job! Keep up the good work!' that's fine too. I'm not too picky. Anyway, see you at next chapter!


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